Laundry loading container device for washing machines



Dec. 19, 1967 A. GELMETTI LAUNDRY LOADING CONTAINER DEVICE FOR WASHING MACHINES Filed Feb. 5, 1966 W w. T R1 MWUO in A I l N A 6 T n I Y B United States Patent 3,358,861 LAUNDRY LOADING CGNTAINER DEVICE FOR WASHING MACHINES Antonio Gelrnetti, Rome, Italy, assignor to Termogestioni Aster S.p.A., Rome, Italy, a corporation of Italy Filed Feb. 3 1966, Ser. No. 524,909 Claims priority, application Italy, May 20, 1965, 11,231/65 5 Claims. (Cl. 214310) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A laundry loading container for use with washing machines. The container constitutes a tube with a closed bottom end and an open top end. A piston having a hollow upwardly tapering frustoconical central section is slidable in the container, the height of the frustoconical section being less than half the length of the tube and the larger lower diameter of the frustoconical section being smaller than the diameter of the tube, said frustoconical section having a radially outwardly extending flange at its large diameter end whereby to accommodate a large quantity of dirty laundry in the tube and to form a central space at the bottom of the tube clear of dirty laundry. Said laundry loading container further includes a telescopic jack consisting of several members which in telescoped position are wholly contained with the frustoconical section when the latter is at the closed bottom end of the tube. Said frustoconical section distributes the dirty laundry in all directions into a washing machine when the jack is extended to discharge the laundry from the tube.

It is a known fact that in the case of washing machines of the industrial type, and particularly those used in hospitals, the laundry includes articles soiled with blood, excrement and similar matter. This laundry is loaded into the Washing machine and subsequently unloaded after washing through the same opening arranged in the individual compartments of the machine. As a result of this there is the disadvantage that the washed clothes often come in contact with parts of the washing machine which have previously been contaminated by the dirty laundry.

The operations of loading and arranging the dirty laundry in the machine are generally carried out by hand by the same personnel who also unload the washed items. These operations increase the possibility of contaminating the washed laundry and, in addition, entail considerable fatigue. Manual loading is also very disagreeable in view of the nature of the dirty material.

Various means have been sought of obviating the above-mentioned disadvantages by using hopper loading systems or having washing machines with mechanical tipping arrangements to effect the unloading. These means have considerable drawbacks and, in general, they are complicated from the mechanical point of view and costly.

The object of the present invention is to provide a laundry loading container device for washing machines which will enable the handling of dirty laundry during the loading operation to be eliminated, will avoid the dirty laundry coming in contact with the outside parts of the washing machine, will reduce fatigue of the personnel responsible for the loading operation and will reduce to the minimum the time required for this operation. According to this invention a laundry loading container device for washing machines is characterised by a container which is closed at the bottom and open at its upper end and a piston slidable in said container and Patented Dec. 19, 1967 operable to expel laundry which has previously been inserted in the container.

The invention is illustrated, as a non-limitative example in the attached drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a longitudinal section of the loading container device in accordance with the invention, shown in the position for loading the laundry and,

FIGURE 2 is a view of the container in FIGURE 1 shown in the laundry unloading position.

Referring to the drawings the container device consists essentially of a container A, closed at the bottom and open at the top, inside which slides a piston B driven by a telescopic jack C. The container A can have a circular cross section or a rectangular, prismatic or similar cross section, depending on the shape of the door opening of the washing machine used. As illustrated in the drawings the piston B may take the shape of a plate with a radial back edge and a central truncated conical section. The telescopic jack C consists (FIG. 2) of a series of tubular members slidable within one another and having sealing flanges E. The outer member C1 is fixed to the centre of the bottom of the container A and the innermost member C2 is fixed to the centre of the underside of the piston B. The jack C is operated by a source of compressed air which is introduced inside it through an inlet connection D.

The container A is also shown provided with castors F and a handle G.

The dirty laundry in the sorting and storing room is put into the container A which is in the position illustrated in FIGURE 1 for this purpose. The full container is transported to the washing machine room by the usual trolley or rail systems in the horizontal or vertical position depending on the specific requirements of the washing machine plant used. When the container is communicated with or inserted into the washing machine, compressed air entering at D operates the jack C which, when its extends as illustrated in FIGURE 2, thrusts the piston B up to the opening of the container and expels laundry contained in the latter. When the supply of compressed air is stopped, the movable telescopic members of the jack return under their own weight into the fixed outer member C1 when the container is returned into the vertical position (FIGURE 1).

In the foregoing the invention has been described in respect of a preferred mode of realisation only. Other forms and purely mechanical variants of the components employed can be readily adopted within the scope of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. A laundry loading container for washing machines with front doors, said container comprising a tube with a closed bottom end and an open top end, a piston slidable in said tube from a position adjacent said bottom end to a position within the tube adjacent the top end, said piston having a raised hollow broad central section with a depressed outer lower periphery, a telescopic jack consisting of several relatively telescopic members including one innermost endmost member and one outermost endmost member, one of the endmost mernbers being connected to the piston and the other endmost member being connected to the bottom end of the tube, said jack being centrally located in the tube and in telescoped position being wholly contained within the raised central section, and fluid pressure means to extend the jack when it is desired to discharge dirty laundry from the tube into a Washing machine.

2. A laundry loading container as set forth in claim 1 in which the fluid pressure means is compressed air.

3. A laundry loading container as set forth in claim 4 c 1 in which the raised hollow broad central section is References Cited of forwardly tapering configuration. UNITED STATES PATENTS 4. A laundry loading container as set forth in claim 3 in which the raised hollow central section is of frustogg' Smlth 398 conical configuration. 5 99 Kayel 2 2 X 5. A laundry loading container as set forth in claim FOR IGN PATENTS 1 wherein the innermost member is connected to the 89,641 7/1957 Norway raised hollow central section and the outermost member is connected to the bottom end of the tube. H GO O- SCHULZ, Primary Examiner. 

1. A LAUNDRY LOADING CONTAINER FOR WASHING MACHINES WITH FRONT DOORS, SAID CONTAINER COMPRISING A TUBE WITH A CLOSED BOTTOM END AND AN OPEN TOP END, A PISTON SLIDABLE IN SAID TUBE FROM A POSITION ADJACENT SAID BOTTOM END TO A POSITION WITHIN THE TUBE ADJACENT THE TOP END, SAID PISTON HAVING A RAISED HOLLOW BROAD CENTRAL SECTION WITH A DEPRESSED OUTER LOWER PERIPHERY, A TELESCOPIC JACK CONSISTING OF SEVERAL RELATIVELY TELESCOPIC MEMBERS INCLUDING ONE INNERMOST ENDMOST MEMBER AND ONE OUTERMOST ENDMOST MEMBER, ONE OF THE ENDMOST MEMBERS BEING CONNECTED TO THE PISTON AND THE OTHER ENDMOST MEMBER BEING CONNECTED TO THE BOTTOM END OF THE TUBE, SAID JACK BEING CENTRALLY LOCATED IN THE TUBE AND IN TELESCOPED POSITION BEING WHOLLY CONTAINED WITHIN THE RAISED CENTRAL SECTION, AND FLUID PRESSURE MEANS TO EXTEND THE JACK WHEN IT IS DESIRED TO DISCHARGE DIRTY LAUNDRY FROM THE TUBE INTO A WASHING MACHINE. 